


An Exciting Distraction

by Itsame_dp



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Light Is Not Kira, Kira-centric, Shinigami, These will coexist, Yagami Light is Kira
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:13:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23256727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itsame_dp/pseuds/Itsame_dp
Summary: In the shinigami world, there is nothing but dust and ruins. More importantly, there is nothing to do but gamble and write names. Kira is bored and decides to take a little vacation.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 55





	1. In the Beginning...

In the shinigami world, there is nothing but dust and ruins. More importantly, there is  _ nothing _ to do but gamble and write names.

_ I am so bored. _ Kira jumped off of a cliff to glide down to a viewing pool and peered in.  _ Do I really want more years of this? Wait-what are they doing?  _

In the dark trees of a park in a city, sat a circle of cloaked teenagers surrounded by candles and chalk symbols. He peered farther into the pool, nearly falling in. He could barely see their lips moving in a synchronized chant as their lifespans began to glow.  _ What is going on?  _

The candles suddenly dimmed and then erupted into pillars of flame that put themselves out as quickly as they had been lit as the teens all collapsed in sync.  _ What was that? I should get a closer look.  _ Kira glanced around, but no one in the shinigami realm was paying him any attention.  _ As long as I kill someone while I'm down there, it should be ok if I take a little vacation. _

With that Kira spread his dark wings and dove into the pool, aiming straight for the group in the woods. He arrived just as the first of the teenagers began to stir and sit up. "Well, howdy! I didn't expect a welcome party!" Exclaimed one of the cloaked teens, almost appearing to be talking to Kira, as she glanced around as if seeing the city for the first time.  _ What is she talking about? What's going on with her name? Gross… it looks so crowded and twisted up, not to mention hard to read. _ "Are shinigami mute or something? " she baited.

Kira startled at the word “shinigami.” “Are you talking to me?” he asked. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t be able to hear him ask, so there wasn’t really a risk of seeming foolish.

“Of course, dummy!” the teen replied.  _ Well, there goes “not seeming foolish.”  _

“I wasn’t sent to welcome you. I was just curious about this.” explained Kira, motioning to the group of teens in various states of consciousness. 

“It’s nothing that unusual. Do shinigami not possess humans like demons do?” inquired the teen. “Not like this. We just drop a notebook on the ground. We don’t really get all...biological.” replied the shinigami, once again being put off by the squirming letters above the teenagers head.

“It’s not that hard,” began the girl, but noticing Kira’s glances at the robes and the candles, she continued, “that’s all unnecessary. All you really need is permission. That bonus stuff was thought up by humans for humans.”

“Do you think that would work for me?” Kira asked, unable to hide his interest.

“I don’t see why not!” chuckled the demon teen. “You just need to find a willing host. It’s easiest if they invite you, like this group. But for a handsome guy like you, I’m sure that humans will be lining up for you to possess them!”

“It seems pretty exciting. Why not?” Kira admitted, scratching the back of his skull from the praise.  _ All I need to do is find a good host. _


	2. The Perfect Host

_He's perfect!_ Light Yagami was easily Kira's ideal host: young, friendly, an older sibling, male, and depressed enough to maybe agree to the deal. _There he is!_

Light was standing alone on the subway platform, lost in thought while staring at the tracks. Kira flew directly above him and dropped his death note.

Light flinched at the sudden motion and looked around in confusion before noticing the black notebook. "Did someone drop this?" He mumbled to himself, picking it up.

 _Showtime!_ Kira landed softly behind the teenager, careful to stay out of sight. "That's mine. Thank you for picking it up." The shinigami said to the human, anticipating an exciting reaction.

"No problem." Light said, slowly turning around to return the notebook. As soon as he saw the gigantic winged skeleton, he shrieked and fell backwards. Light was terrified, and it didn't help that the horrifying monster was laughing at him! He looked around to see if there was anyone on the platform who could help save him from this frightening beast, but the few people at the station hadn’t even heard his scream. Kira, noticing his search, informed him, “They can’t see me y’know. Sorry for scaring you, I just needed to talk to you. I’m Kira.”

“I’m Light.” replied Light, getting off the floor. “What did you want to ask me?” he continued, putting false confidence into his voice. Just then the train appeared. Light sprinted onto the subway and the doors closed. Light sighed with relief at having a barrier between him and Kira. 

That relief turned back into terror when Kira simply fazed through the doors and sat beside him. Ignoring his companion’s fear, Kira carried on, “I’m a shinigami. I’m looking for a host and you seem perfect!”

“Can we talk later?” Light whispered, tired of getting weird looks from the other passengers, who despite ignoring his earlier shriek, were now focused on him. 

“Sure.” agreed Kira. _This’ll give me a chance to memorize his route._

~~~

Light continued on his everyday walk home, but today’s stroll was anything but ordinary. “So what did you mean by a ‘host’, shinigami?” Light built up the nerve to ask. 

“A demon taught me how they possess humans, and I wanted to try it. You seem to have all the right qualities to be my perfect host, so I chose you!” the shinigami answered with a grin.

Light was becoming more and more nervous the more he discovered, but he kept asking questions. “What were the right qualities? Maybe I can find you someone better.” Light said, already thinking of alternatives.

“Nope! I researched quite a few humans and I like you the best.” Kira cut down that idea.

They reached the Yagami house and Light quickly went in and took off his shoes. His mother called from the kitchen, “Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. How was the fundraiser set-up?”

“It went pretty good. I think the band program will definitely be able to afford their new uniforms.” Light said while setting the table. Sayu looked up from the television and rushed over to help. “Hi Sayu, how was your day?” Light asked.

“It was great! My teacher said my art project was the best in the class!” Sayu responded cheerfully.

“Is Dad going to be here?” Light questioned, holding a fourth plate. His father had been working late recently.

“No. He called and said he would be a while still.” Sachiko answered, bringing in the food. 

  
  


~~~

After dinner, Light went up to his room to finally deal with the elephant in the room-- or the terrifying god of death. Light decided to break the ice, “So, how do this ‘possess’ thing happen? Is it like in the movies, with candles and contracts and blood and stuff?”

Kira broke the news, “The demon who told me about the ritual said that those extra things were made up and all you really need is a willing host.”

Light saw his chance, “What if I wasn’t willing? Would you just move on? What’s with the notebook you dropped earlier?” As he said this, he took the mysterious stationery out of his school bag.

Kira replied, “That is my Death Note. Any human whose name is written in it will die. If you don’t agree to be my host, I’ll write your name and find someone more willing.”

Now horrified for what seemed like the millionth time that night, Light stammered out, “Well, it’s a good thing we are still negotiating, isn’t it? I mean I want to make sure that my family will be safe, and you need to learn more about me so that people won’t get suspicious, right? After all, if you scare people, they would exorcise you or they’d think you're crazy and lock you up.”

“That’s a good idea,” Kira admitted, “but I’ve been watching your daily routine for a while now, and I think I’ve got it down. But because you seem worried, we can negotiate.”

Light’s shoulders sank with relief in the knowledge that he could at least keep his family safe. “First,” he began, “you can’t hurt or kill anyone. Even if I’m not me anymore, I don’t want to be a murderer. Second, you have to keep up my reputation. I don’t want anyone to look down on my family when I’m gone. Third, treat my family and others with respect.You might be a shinigami, but when you pretend to be me, you better be good at it.”

“Sounds fine to me.” Kira accepted the conditions. They shook hands and Light Yagami's life changed forever.


	3. Catching Up With Kira

“What are you going to name her, Light? Have you thought of a name yet? Can I help you pick one?” pestered Sayu, asking questions rapid fire. “I already thought of the perfect name. It is…” he paused for dramatic effect, “Rem!”

“Rem? Why?” asked a confused Sayu. “Well, I heard that cats sleep a lot, REM is the name for part of the sleep cycle.” explained Kira. _Plus, this Rem seems to dislike me as much as her shinigami namesake._ As if to prove this point, the cat hissed.

“Well I think it’s a perfect name, honey. Now set the table for dinner, you two. You can play with the cat more after we eat.” chimed in Sachiko from the kitchen.

“Ok mom!” replied the children, putting the kitten away.

_I never expected it would be this easy to play human. It's pretty fun! I kind of like this family too!_ Just then the phone rang, interrupting his musings. “I’ll get it!” he exclaimed, running to beat Sayu.

“Hello!” he greeted, still energized from speeding to the phone. 

“Hi Light. It’s your dad. I’m just calling to say I’m on my way home and to set a plate for me.” Soichiro informed.

“Alright Dad. See you soon!” Kira ended the call. _Well, I like most of this family._

The three Yagamis began eating dinner, full of lively conversation. The mood of the room quickly became less rowdy and more serious at the arrival of the Yagami patriarch.

“Dinner looks great, honey.” he complimented. Sachiko twittered, “It’s nothing really. Just something I threw together. Tomorrow's grocery day!” 

Turning away from Sachiko, Soichiro leaned towards his son. “Have you named that kitten yet?” he said, with the same intensity as if he were talking about a new murder case.

“Yeah, I named her Rem, like the sleep cycle, since cats sleep so much.” said Kira quickly, crumbling over the weight of the police officer’s gaze. Kira didn’t like it, but his final conversation with Light really got to him and gave him an obsessive fear of not standing out to humans.

“That’s unique.” his father began, breaking to take a few bites, but tone implying he wasn’t done speaking. He continued, “Have you quit tennis yet? I feel it takes too much time from your studies and college entrance exams are coming up.”

“Not yet. I want to stay, at least until the next competition. At the very least, the exercise is good for my health.” Kira replied calmly.

Sayu rescued him from the tense atmosphere when she began discussing her day, full of drama and confusingly similar named classmates. _I knew that humans had the same names occasionally, but this is ridiculous! Four Sarahs in this story- and counting!_

Soon enough, dinner was over and Soichiro watched his son take the kitten upstairs with the excuse of studying. Kira looked over the textbook while petting the kitten on his lap, who was loving the attention. After a while, Rem had had enough. She bit his hand and ran out of the room as fast as she could. 

“Ow!” he exclaimed in pain. _I guess there are some things I don’t like about being human._

Try as he might, the student couldn’t get refocused on the textbook. _I guess I’ll learn something else for a change._

He turned on his computer and logged into the NPA website using his dad’s stolen password. This wasn’t the first or even the second time he had done this. It seemed that every time he began to bore of being a hardworking student he was drawn to illegally looking at active cases. Then all he had to do was hint at the solution over breakfast so Soichiro thought he had discovered it himself. It was no wonder Soichiro thought that he had his best ideas after a good night back home with his family.

 _Done! The boyfriend did it! Wow, it’s really late!_ Finally acknowledging his exhaustion, Light went to bed.


	4. A New Kira Enters the Fray

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Kira-the-shinigami is referred to as “Light” in this chapter to signal him becoming more human and to make it less confusing.

“There are theories that the mysterious deaths are caused by an individual or group that the general population refers to the ongoing phenomena as ‘Kira.’” informed the newscaster. She continued, but Light wasn’t listening anymore. “What kind of-” Light paused, searching for words to properly express his rage, “Imposter!” His outburst was so loud and sudden that Rem, who had been dozing on the bed, jumped and fell to the floor, where she yowled her complaint. This caught Light’s attention, and he reconsidered the situation. _Yes, there is a human with a Death Note killing in my name, but how did they get it? The notebook must have come from a shinigami, who must have known me. After all, I named my pet after a god of death. Maybe they did the same._ These musings greatly improved Light’s mood, so he picked Rem up and continued.

 _Who would drop a note? No one was particularly desperate for life span when I left. Did someone accidentally drop it? Did they do it on_ **_purpose?_**

He sat down on the bed and started petting the easily appeased cat. “Let’s think this through, Rem. Who would drop a note now? Why drop a note?” Still holding the cat, he leaned back on the bed and continued brainstorming. “If I was to drop one on purpose, it would be because I was bored. Who else would do that?” While he was thinking through the list of potential shinigami, the television erupted into static. “What now?” he asked the cat, before focusing on the news once more.

“We'd like to apologize for the interruption. As of now we're bringing you a live world wide broadcast from Interpol, ICPO. We now take you live to the ICPO.” stated an announcer.

A figure appeared in the static and started to speak. “I head up an International Police Task Force which includes all member nations. I am Lind L. Tailor, otherwise known as L. Criminals around the world are being murdered by a serial killer. I consider this crime to be the most atrocious act of murder in history. I will not rest until the person or persons responsible are brought to justice. Kira, I will hunt you down. I will find you. Kira, I've got a pretty good idea what your motivation might be, and I can guess what you hope to achieve. However, what you're doing right now is evil.”

“Maybe I won’t need to worry about an imposter for very long with this guy on the case.” Light told the now purring cat. Lind continued speaking, “Police worldwide have launched a coordinated investigation, and I will not rest-” Lind choked and clutched his chest. After a few moments, he collapsed dramatically. “Well, that was quick.” Light said to the cat, chuckling at the absurd timing.

Just then, the image of the now empty chair was replaced by the gothic letter ‘L’. Audio began to accompany the icon, in the form of a modified voice. “Ah. I had to test this, just in case, but I-I never thought it would actually happen. Kira…it seems you can kill people without having to be there in person. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't just witnessed it. Listen to me, Kira. If you did, indeed, kill Lind L. Tailor, the man who you just saw die on television, I should tell you that he was an inmate whose execution was scheduled for today. That was not me. The police arrested him in absolute secrecy, so you wouldn't have heard of him on TV or through the internet. It appears not even you have access to information about these types of criminals. But I assure you, L is real. I do exist. Now…try to kill me! What's wrong? Go ahead! Come on, right now! Kill me!”

“The fake won’t be able to kill L without his name and face! That was a clever move.” Light explained to the cat, he was clearly excited, but the cat didn’t share his interest.

L revealed the rest of his plan. “So there are some people you can't kill. You've given me a useful hint. Now I’ll give you some information, in return. Although this was announced as a worldwide broadcast, the truth is, we are only broadcasting in the Kanto region of Japan. I had planned to broadcast this message around the world until we found you, but it looks like that won't be necessary. I know now where you are.”

“The pretender is nearby! Maybe I can find them before L does.” Light murmured.

L continued his speech. “The police treated your first killing as an unrelated incident, but in actuality, the first of your victims was a suspect in Sinjuku. Of all the criminals that recently died of heart attacks, this one's crime was, by far, the least serious. Furthermore, his crime was only ever reported inside Japan. I used that information to deduce this much. You are in Japan and your first victim was little more than an experiment, which means you haven't been killing for very long. Naturally, I am very interested to know how you're able to commit these murders without being present…but I don't mind waiting a little bit longer. You can answer all of my questions when I catch you… Let's meet again soon, Kira… I am Justice!” With this the television switched back to the shocked news casters, who nervously gave the weather forecast.

“Well, that was interesting.” Light said, still petting the cat. A few minutes later, Rem got fed up with the petting, hissed, and squeezed out the barely open door. 

A few minutes later, Sayu entered the now ajar door. “Hey, Light! Can you help me with my math? Inequalities are kicking my butt.”

“Sure, Sayu.” Light answered, turning off the television while Sayu dragged another chair over to the desk. _While I’m thinking of Death Notes, I should probably find a better place for my own. I mean Sayu is practically touching the drawer it’s in!_

Sayu began listing her homework struggles. “So, I had a lot of trouble with number six and I don’t even know if it’s right! I still don’t get the new multiplication rule…” 

Dinner that night was a fairly lively scene, with all the Yagamis at dinner on time. However, the positive mood wasn’t able to survive Soichiro’s news. Several times during the meal, he had opened his mouth but had struggled with the words. Finally, he came clean. “I’m leading the Kira case.” he said, somberly.

“The heart attack cases?” Light questioned, feigning ignorance. “So the police think that the criminals are being murdered and it isn't a coincidence?” _Well, this is one case I won’t be able to help on._

“Yes, that is our official position.” Soichiro cracked a smile. “I didn’t know you were already on top of the news, Light. What about this has caught your interest, son?”

Light took a breath, then continued, hoping to hide the reoccurring nervousness that came from talks with his “dad”. “Just the inexplicableness, I suppose. I didn’t realize that even the police thought it was a specific person causing it. I thought this would end in a discovery of high sodium prison food or something.”

“Are you going to be ok looking for Kira, dad?” Sayu chimed in. “If you don’t know how Kira kills, how are you going to stay safe?”

“To be honest, I don’t know, Sayu. I better figure out a way before work tomorrow, I suppose.” Soichiro responded, trying to lighten the mood. 

“I’m sure that you’ll be able to stop Kira, Dad, especially if you’ve got L’s help on the case.” Light told Soichiro earnestly.

“I hope you’re right, son. I hope you’re right.” Soichiro replied.


	5. Dates in December

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira is beginning to test their power and Light realizes he may become a suspect.

_ So, the imposter kills more on weekends and holidays. Maybe they’re a student… maybe they just want the investigators to  _ **_think_ ** _ they are a student. That would be interesting.  _ Light leaned backwards in his chair, still lost in thought.  _ This human may be a crazy murderer, but they do make this place interesting and so many humans seem to agree!  _ Light switched tabs from the police investigation back to the Kira messageboard, which was already filled with hundreds of theories and reactions to the current events. “Blip!” chimed the police investigation tab, indicating that someone had finally updated it with the day’s discussion. The killings had shifted from breaks from school to every hour, on the hour.  _ I guess they’ve given up on the student ruse-and just when the police were catching on. Wait a minute! They might be able to peak at the investigation too! _

Light shut down the computer in a panic and began pacing around his room.  _ If the police or L catch on, no  _ **_when_ ** _ they catch on I will become a subject. Am I a convincing enough human? What if I do something weird and they exorcise me? Would that work? Oh no oh no oh no!  _ Overwhelmed, Light sat down on the edge of the bed.

_ Calm down and think this through! They don’t even need to realize I’m not human. I have my own copy of the murder weapon. All they need is evidence of that to end this little thought experiment.  _ Light peered over to the bookshelf, where the Death Note was attempting to blend in among science fiction and test prep books. He was quickly becoming uneasy by it being out in the open. 

Pulling out a thick encyclopedia from the bottom shelf, Light peeled back the book sleeve and slipped the thin notebook between the cover and the sleeve. After it was squeezed back into place on the shelf, it was nearly impossible to recognize that anything had changed.  _ That’ll do for now. _

~~~

_ I’m being followed.  _ The realization seems to come out of nowhere and shocks Light out of his train of thought. He forces himself to keep walking normally and not immediately turn and confront his pursuer.  _ I’m almost home, relax.  _

Once he enters the house, he greets Sachiko and rushes to his room, nearly stepping on Rem, who was lying in the doorway, in his rush. He throws down his bag and attempts to subtly peek out of the window. The man outside has attempted to hide himself behind the neighbor’s wall. Luckily for him, it hides just enough of his face that Light can’t hope to identify him.  _ Damn it! I didn’t expect to be picked out so soon! _

He turns on the television and is unprepared when the newscasters begin to discuss a feel-good video of a piglet in rainboots and not the mass murderer holding the world hostage like they had been for weeks. _ What is going on?! _

He quickly rushes to his computer and browses the Kira message boards. The most outspoken Kira fanatics also seem to be shocked at the media silence. Light’s cell phone rings and he answers as confidently as his reputation would suggest. “Hello, this is Light.” he greets.

The girl on the other end, however, is not nearly as confident and her words are barely understandable with how quickly she spits them out. “Hi, Light. It’s Yuri. I think you’re really cool and I wanted to know if you want to go out on a date this weekend?” comes out in a panicked rush.

“Sure. Do you want to go to Spaceland?” Light responds, as an advertisement for the theme park plays on the now muted television. “I’d love to! See you then!” exclaims the excited girl, hanging up.

“Guess my first date will be me, Yuri, and you, mystery man.” murmurs Light, towards the window.

After dinner, Light studies then takes a break to hack into the police investigation, where he learns why there was a gap in media coverage.  _ So he figured out how to manipulate the criminals’ actions. That would definitely terrify the general population. I wonder how L will combat this? _

~~~

On Saturday morning, Light takes a great deal of time picking an outfit and double-checking his appearance, determined to make this a perfect date. It almost was, until the bus ride into the park.

“So, where do you plan on going to college?” Light asks. “Oh, well, I really like psychology, so I plan on going to…” Yuri replies, but Light is no longer listening, focusing on a man who has just gotten on the bus, but seems very familiar. _ Where have I seen him before? _

Just as Light realizes that this man is from one of the many mugshots featured on the evening news, it is too late and the man is brandishing a gun and yelling at the driver and passengers. Kiichiro Osoreda, the drug addict known for violence at an attempted robbery, is commanding the driver to contact his boss and comply with his demands.

Light glances over at Yuri and notices that she is trembling. “Don’t worry, Yuri. My dad is a police officer and has taught me some self-defence. I can disarm him.” he attempts to reassure her, but the man behind them overhears. 

“Woah, calm down, kid. I’ll handle this.” the man says confidently. However, instead of putting the teenagers at ease, this panics Yuri even more. “How do we know you aren’t working with him?” questions a timid Yuri. At Light’s confused look, she elaborates. “I saw it on the news once. One hijacker takes the front of the bus and the other pretends to be a rider to take out any resistance.”

Won over by the teenagers’ suspicion, the man hands over his identification, an FBI name badge. After they return the badge, Raye Penber studies Osoreda, who has switched from yelling at the grandparents at the front of the bus to the young man only a few rows in front of Light and Yuri. Osoreda, perhaps noticing the intense looks being sent his way, makes his way to the back of the bus. Light sees him lean over and touch something on the floor, before Osoreda stands up and screams, shooting randomly. Penber shouts at everyone to get down, and no one is shot. Osoreda’s demons seem to be immune to the gunshots as well, for when he empties the gun he screams and runs as if he is being chased. Unfortunately for him, he runs into oncoming traffic and is run over. 


	6. When One FBI Agent Falls, Another Takes His Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the Kudos and kind comments. Here's the next chapter.

Before he met Light, the most important thing to Kira-the-Shinigami was apples. He enjoyed them more than any other fruit. It was a passion he had shared with the shinigami Ryuk. However, where Ryuk favored shining red apples, Kira most liked green ones. They had spent many human lifespans discussing the pros and cons of each type, never convincing the other that their favorite was best. In the human world Kira, now as Light, could eat as many green apples as he wanted, as long as he specified the type on the grocery list.

Unfortunately, human taste buds seem to encourage diversifying one’s diet, and after eating two apples in a row, dulls the flavor of any further fruit. This caused Light to discover a new likable snack- potato chips, particularly the barbeque flavor.

  
  


\---

_ Raye Penber is gone.  _ It was a simple observation, but it shook Light fiercely. Now instead of the horrifying knowledge that he was being observed, his mind was filled with anxious questions.  _ Why was he gone? Had they discovered proof of him being otherworldly? Were they planning on capturing him and torturing him? _

Once again, he has to take a moment to calm himself and begin to think rationally.  _ While this man has been following him for at least a week, Light hadn’t done anything overly suspicious in public. If he had, Raye wouldn’t have talked to him as easily as he had on the bus. _

On Sunday, the news delivers the proper reason- Twelve FBI Agents Found Dead In Japan, more at six. “So Kira is killing all of those after him and not just criminals.” Soichiro admits, which brings a hush over the table, where the Yagami family had previously been playing a dice game. Light had been insanely good at it.

Soichiro continues, “I am still the head of the Kira task force. I will not resign.” At this Sayu voices a protest, but is shushed by her mother. Soichiro waits for a moment then resumes his speech, “Many of the other investigators have quit, and I refuse to let the NPA give up just because we are scared. Those FBI agents were murdered by Kira, and it would be a great shame to let them die in vain.” 

Sayu responds, “But what about you dad? You could be murdered too! Your name and picture are on the NPA website!” Sachiko adds, “Please leave the case, dear. I know the investigators need you, but we need you too!”

After they have said their pieces, the rest of the family looks to Light to hear his opinion. “I know it’s dangerous, but if you feel that you have to stay with the investigation, I’ll support you. But if anything happens to you, I will go after Kira myself.” he concludes.

“Thank you, Light. I really appreciate the concern and support you all have shown me. I need to stick with the investigation.” Soichiro says finally, his tone inviting no more discussion.

\---

At first Kira had been disappointed by the lack of originality in the human killer.  _ Only heart attacks? BORING! Where is the passion? The spontaneous addition of a pineapple allergy? The being attacked by animals?  _ Later Kira was able to acknowledge the subtle genius of only one cause of death.  _ This way, every heart attack is attributed to the murderer and it won't be obvious if the Death Note's conditions aren't filled. _

_ \--- _

After the holiday, Soichiro goes back to work and resumes his overworking ways. “Oh, dear. Your father forgot to grab some fresh clothes. Sayu, can you run this over to the police station?” Sachiko asks her daughter, motioning to the bag on the counter.

“Aw, Mom. Do I have to? I just started my new game!” Sayu was clearly upset at being interrupted from enjoying her new gift. “Don’t worry. I can take it, Mom. I was going to run a few errands anyway.” Light interceded. “Thanks, Light. I owe you one!” Sayu chimed just as Light started heading out the door.

-

After the second straight-to-voicemail call to his father, Light puts away his phone.  _ He must be in a meeting. I guess I’ll have to leave the clothes at the desk. _

“- Don’t understand. It’s urgent!” Light enters the police station to a woman pleading with the men at the reception desk. “Ma’am, there is no one at the Kira Task Force Headquarters.” One of the men insists.

_ No one at headquarters? Dad’s phone is off. What’s going on?  _ This doesn’t discourage the woman. “Can’t you contact them? I have information about the Kira Investigation.” The man gives in, “Fine. I’ll try calling one more time.” He picks up the phone and dials.

Light approaches the desk. “Hi, I’m Detective Soichiro Yagami’s son, Light Yagami.  I’ve brought my father a change of clothes, but it doesn’t seem like he’s in.  Can I leave them here?” he says, setting the bag on the desk. 

The receptionist replies, “Sure. Hey, I haven’t seen you in a while, Light?”  _ What. Should I know this person?  _ “Oh, I’m sorry.” Light reflexively responds.  _ I have no idea who he is. Is he supposed to be more than a receptionist to me? _

Luckily, the receptionist doesn’t look too offended when he elaborates, “What? You don’t remember? You helped solve the insurance fraud murder investigation. When was it? Eh, sometime last year. But hey, no one remembers the receptionist, do they?”

“Sorry, I’m just really bad with names.” It’s a lie. Light can see the man’s exact name and date of death floating above his head, but this is another one of those things humans say to each other to be polite. “Do I need to sign in on this sheet?” He asks, motioning to the clipboard on the desk.

“That’ll work. So, Light, does this mean you are gonna be helping us with the Kira investigation, too?” the receptionist asks. “Sure! Maybe I’ll find Kira before L does.” Light replies. “Before L does?” the woman mumbles, inadvertently bringing attention back to herself. 

Before Light can say anything else, the other receptionist gets off the phone. “As I thought, there’s no one at headquarters. You are going to have to trust me on this, ma’am. I’ll be sure to give them your message as soon as I see them, I promise.”

“That’s not good enough! I have to tell them in person!” she insists, getting more worked up. In anticipation of the receptionists asking her to leave, Light speaks up, “Excuse me. My father is actually in charge of the Kira investigation. If you’d like, I could pass your message on to him. His phone is off at the moment, but I should be able to contact him soon. A number of FBI agents were just killed and a lot of detectives have quit the case because they were afraid of Kira. So he is pretty busy right now.” 

“Maybe don’t tell civilians that, Light.” The receptionist awkwardly admonishes. “I feel like I can trust her. She looks like a very careful and wise person. Besides, it’s almost common knowledge at this point. You must have already figured out that the police had a leak of some kind. And that’s why you wanted to tell them in person. You thought this through, right?” Light asks.

Light turns to leave and the woman follows. On their way out the door, Light offers, “Once my father gets my messages, he’ll call me back and then I can hand the phone to you.”

“Are you sure that’s ok?” the woman verifies. “Sure! I’m certain you can understand why I can’t give you my father’s number, but letting you borrow my phone is fine.” Light answers.

“Thank you.” the woman quietly replies as they cross the street to a park.

-

“You’re pretty brave for involving yourself in the Kira investigation.” Light compliments.  _ I know why I’m involved, but what could make a seemingly intelligent woman like her be willing to risk her life like this? _

“I’m really not.” the woman insists.

Light stops and says “We’ve been walking a while and I realized I haven't introduced myself. Sorry, I’m Light Yagami. It’s spelled with the character for “moon" and Yagami with the characters for “night" and “god". Kind of weird, huh?”

She goes to introduce herself and Light prepares for her to say Naomi- but she doesn’t say Naomi. She says, “My name is Shoko Maki. It’s written with the characters for “shining," “ko" is in “child", “space" and “ki" is in “tree".”  _ What the hell? A fake name? Shoot, how do you remember names? Repeat them, right? Miss Maki, Miss Maki, Miss Maki. _

Trying to keep his rapidly changing thoughts off of his face, Light continues their conversation. “So, Miss Maki, I’ve been thinking about Kira’s powers. And I believe they enable him to somehow control his victims before they die.”  _ What does she think she knows about Kira? _

She seems shocked as she replies, “So do I! That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking. I think there’s more to it though. Not only can he control their actions, but I think he can control how they die, not only through heart attacks.”  _ Who is this woman? Did someone else drop a Death Note? Is she L?  _ Seeing his shock, she continues, “I don’t think the police have even considered this yet! But if I can convince them, I’m sure we’ll save a lot of lives!”

Light makes a show of thinking over this “new” information. “So, what you’re saying is, anytime Kira wants to hide one of his kills, he just wouldn’t use a heart attack? If that’s true, who knows how high his kill count is?” 

This seems to dull her enthusiasm, and she returns inward as they continue walking. Eventually, she speaks up again, “I’m almost positive that someone I know may have met Kira.”

“Met Kira? Sorry to say this, but I’m a little skeptical. I think the police would be too, if they heard a person came in saying they’d met Kira.” Light replies. “Wouldn’t it be better if your friend spoke to them instead?”

“I know it sounds far fetched, that’s why I need to explain it in person!” She exclaims, but almost sobs as she continues, “I’m sure it would be better if he spoke to the police, but he is no longer alive. He was one of the 12 FBI agents who came to Japan to investigate Kira. He was also my fiancé. While he was working, he got caught up in a bus jacking. I have reason to believe that he met Kira on that bus.”

_ Her fiancé must have been Raye Penber. Should I try to pretend I don’t know who she’s talking about? No, when she talks to the police, they’ll be able to identify exactly who was on that bus.  _ However, before he can finish saying “Sorry for your loss.” She interrupts with her evidence, “Eight days after the bus was hijacked, he died along with the other FBI investigators. The same man who had attempted to rob a bank two days before he hijacked that bus, and he dies in an accident just like that. I mean, really what are the odds? Kira must have set up that bus jacking to gather information about the FBI. The hijacker dying in an accident just cements the theory that Kira can kill by means other than heart attacks.”

“I don’t disagree with you, but doesn’t that seem like circular logic? I’m just wondering if you have anything else to offer the police.” Light responds.

“I do.” she replies calmly, the picture of quiet confidence. “I’ve been thinking about that bus jacking ever since he told me about it. After he calmed down, I asked him for details. He didn’t mention any names or anything like that, but he told me one thing- that he’d been put in a situation where he had to show his FBI ID to someone.”

“I might be able to personally help you track down who was on that bus, Miss Maki. You see, about two weeks ago, a girl from my class invited me to go to Spaceland with her. On the bus ride into the park, a criminal from the news attempted to hijack the bus. A man behind us tried to organize the other passengers, but my date was suspicious. Raye Penber showed us his ID badge. He swore us to secrecy because he didn’t want to cause a national uproar, with unauthorized Americans investigating Japanese police. I’m sure that if we work together, we can track down all the passengers and I will be able to tell you who did what. We can catch your fiancé’s killer!” Light tries to give his little speech with as much charm as possible, but he can still see the passion from her investigation die in her eyes and be replaced with distrust.  _ Yikes. _

Luckily, before she can act on it, Light’s phone rings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism appreciated!


	7. Patterns Made and Broken

**Beep beep beep.**  
“Hello, this is Light. Yeah, I just wanted to let you know that I brought you a change of clothes. Ok. That’s alright, Dad. Hey, there’s this woman who has information about the case and I said she could borrow my phone to discuss it with you. Here’s Miss Shoko Maki.” Light hands the phone to his walking companion.  
She takes the phone, still eyeing him with suspicion as she makes her case to the head of the Kira investigation. It seems to go well enough as after a few minutes of discussion she hands the phone back and says goodbye stiltedly, all of the goodwill from their conversation burned and buried by the reveal that he was on that bus.  
Maybe he shouldn't have offered his phone, but it seemed like just a helpful original-Light thing to do. _Oh well. I guess I’ll have to keep an eye out for more investigation. At least it’ll be exciting balancing this with entrance exams!_

But for an entire week nothing seems to happen, especially because the police investigation updates stop.

On January 8th, Light gets home from school feeling itchy and anxious. _I know that ~~Naomi~~ ~~Miss Maki~~ Whatever Her Name Is was suspicious of me! So why has she not made her move?_  
“Mom? Sayu?” he calls to the apparently empty house. Maybe Sayu is finally going to get those new shoes she wanted with Mom? Either way, I need to study.  
He grabs an apple from the bowl on the counter and heads upstairs, attitude not improved by the eerily quiet house. It’s only when he reaches the door to his bedroom that he stills for a moment. The unadjusted doorknob makes it clear, someone has been in the room. Maybe Sayu wanted to borrow something?  
Increasingly on edge he enters the room, and a paper slip lands delicately on his sock with bits of pencil lead on the floor nearby. Alarm bells going off in his head, he replaces the paper-in-the-door security system and sits down in his chair at the desk. Opening a textbook at random, he pretends to study. _I guess she made her move after all._

It’s hard, but Light thinks he’s pulling off this whole pretend-everything-is-fine-even-though-I’m-probably-being-watched-this-very-moment thing. He just has to be careful and casual and stick to a routine: feed Rem, study, talk to Sayu and Mom, play with Rem, take care of the litter box, eat dinner, and never even glance at the Death Note’s hiding spot.  
It works until a breaking news bulletin interrupts Sayu as she watches her favorite actor, Hideki Ryuga, woo his love interest on screen. It takes over the screen, then retreats into a ribbon on the bottom of the television, “1,500 Interpol investigators are coming to Japan after the death of the FBI agents.”  
Without thinking, Light speaks his mind. “Well, that’s stupid. If they’re bringing over more investigators, why announce it? Wouldn’t they be more effective coming and investigating in secret? It’s got to be a trick to make Kira nervous and expose himself. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kira sees right through this.”  
He gets up and puts his plate in the sink. “Thanks for dinner, Mom.” he says, grabbing a bag of chips.  
This causes Sayu to speak up and sass her brother, “Woah! You’re eating chips, but we just had dinner! Your good looks are going to go right down the drain if you keep that up.”  
“It’s just a snack for studying, Sayu. I don’t want to leave “the zone” tonight if I get hungry. The exam is less than 10 days away!” Light defends.  
“Ok, then. Good luck and goodnight, Light.” Sachiko hollers as Light makes his way upstairs.  
_Forget about probable surveillance! It’s time to focus on math._

The next day the news reveals that an embezzler and a purse-snatcher who had been revealed on the nightly news have been killed by Kira.

Two days later, some small-time thieves follow suit.

_Maybe Kira didn’t see through the fake broadcast? This breaks the pattern of previous kills._

\---

Light enters the exam room and looks over the sea of kanji at all of his competition. He sweeps his gaze over the red words as he makes his way over to one of the last available seats. That’s when he sees the odd one out, sitting there under a banner of red English - L Lawliet.

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism appreciated!


End file.
